A £1MILLION lottery prize remains unclaimed more than three months after the ticket was bought in Poole.

Now The National Lottery is encouraging players to use their time in lockdown wisely by checking all old tickets.

Tickets for millions of pounds worth of prizes from Lotto, EuroMillions and Thunderball draws within the last 180 days are just waiting to be dug out, checked and claimed. In the current crisis, The National Lottery is asking players to check either online via The National Lottery website or through The National Lottery App, rather than taking a trip to the shops unless it is part of an essential shop.

The lockdown search is still on to find the owner of the winning ticket from the Lotto draw on January 29 – bought in Poole – who matched five main numbers and the bonus ball in the draw to become a millionaire. The winning Lotto numbers on that date were 7, 23, 40, 42, 47, 59 and the bonus ball was 58, and the lucky ticket-holder has until July 27 to make their claim.

If no-one comes forward with the winning ticket before the prize claim deadline, then the prize money, plus all the interest it has generated, will go to help National Lottery-funded projects across the UK.

Camelot’s Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, said, “While we are all trying to do the right thing by staying indoors at the moment, it’s a good opportunity to dig out and check those old lottery tickets - a five minute check might just unearth a fortune.

"We know that lots of players often have unchecked tickets lying around, and this is an opportunity for a bit of spring cleaning which might turn out to be very worthwhile indeed.

“If you locate any previously unchecked tickets down the back of the sofa or in one of your old winter coat pockets, there is no need to venture out to the shops to have it checked. We’re encouraging everyone to check their tickets online via The National Lottery website or via The National Lottery App, and to only buy their tickets in retail or claim a retail prize if they are already in-store to do an essential shop.

“If you are lucky enough to have the winning ticket call the National Lottery Line on 0333 234 5050 to claim.”

If players have any concerns about not being able to get in-store to claim a lower-tier prize, they can contact The National Lottery on0333 234 50 50, but are asked not to get in touch unless they have a ticket nearing the end of its claim period.